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@freemo When it comes to information, access is a bit of a complicated matter. Just because something is physically available or even presented does not mean that it is mentally accessible. More so, I think it's highly unlikely that the same presentation will be accessible to every individual.
With educational system that only ever presents a concept in one way, one time, then marks those who don't understand it as stupid and moves along, stupidity is hardly surprising.
@freemo taken to extreme, you may say that people, for however long time they existed and now, were and are really stupid for not immediately discovering laws of gravity, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics or even 42, cause all of it was and is clearly available to them as reality, if they spend some indeterminate amount of time to look around and do some research.
@namark Send a flat earther to university and he will only fail out and still think the earth is flat. Its not the information, its how people are taught to rationalize.
@freemo When an adult would be able to go to a public school, to study 1st grade material of their choosing (taught by a voluntary 2nd grader), without a hint of shame, I'll also be puzzled by stupidity.
Opportunity to study by yourself doesn't count without motivation, which primarily comes from the approval and support of your peers. These days I don't think "go back to primary school" is often said as anything but mockery, even by people who might not have mastered the material themselves.
@namark I agree, there is a huge problem in much of the world with access to education, stigmas, and shame. /It isnt helping.
But that is not an example of lack of access but rather how we treat these people socially on many aspects (generally we shame exploration of facts). The issue is less so the access to education for the bilk of stupidity.
@namark I generally agree with peer teaching as a technique. But as i said its a small part of the problem that largely begins with how people are raised as well.
But for the most part I agree that the problem is a social one, not an access to education one for the most part.
@freemo I guess my sole point was, that in context of reasoning about existence of stupidity fundamentally, the notion of access to information should be treated fundamentally as well, in which case these complexities arise. From that point of view access is the issue.
In other words, in this kind of general context, for any useful definition of access to information, I think there is some obvious lack of access.
@freemo Yes I went on a bit of a tangent there. The part that is related to access(in which I think presentation really matters) is the voluntary 2nd grader. If I'm correct that peer approval is primary motivation, then
more teachers = more chance for a person to see one as a peer,
voluntary higher grader as teacher = more teachers.
Not that any of this is easy to do. The only initiative I know of (and admittedly was greatly influenced by) is khanacademy, though it seems to be in a stalemate.